“Lord,  Have   Mercy!”
Luke 18: 9-14 

“I never come to church anymore," boasted a member of the church when the pastor encountered him at the local mall, "Perhaps you have noticed that, pastor?"  
"Yes, I have noticed that," said the pastor.

"Well, the reason I don't go is because there are so many hypocrites there." "Oh, don't let that keep you away," replied the pastor with a smile. "There's always room for one more.”

A Minister was walking down the street when he came upon a group of boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age. The group had surrounded a dog. Concerned that the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?"

One of the boys replied, "This dog is an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."
   
Of course, the minister was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie."
 
There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the minister was beginning to think he’d gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, “All right, give him the dog.”

The ultimate hypocrite joke: "My boyfriend is such a cheat and a liar!" Sue shouted. "I’ve been going with the guy for nearly a year now and not once did he mention that he’s married."

 

"Oh, that’s terrible," her friend said. "Yeah, what a hypocrite! I’d probably never have found out. I heard purely by chance when it was mentioned the other day by my husband."

LUKE 18: 9-14: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’

¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Webster’s Dictionary defines “hypocrite” this way: first; a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion, and/or second; a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.

It can be a noun or a verb, you can be a hypocrite or you can act hypocritical. The word we use in scripture comes from the Greek word hypo-kritēs and the Jewish word chaneph (kha-naf). It is used 16 times in scripture, 13 times in the old Testament and 3 times in the New if you are using the NKJV.

We all know what a hypocrite is and would never want to be caught being one, would we? But what if I told you that just as we are all guilty of telling “white lies,” we can’t avoid finding some element of hypocrisy in our lives either.

Hypocrisy seems to have its roots in our desire to be something or someone other than we are, or to pretend to believe or do things we really don’t want to do. Most of the time people pretend to do or say things to get or convince others to do things or in the case of employment to get raises and such.

Politicians and lawyers are well known for supposed hypocritical behavior. Yet why do we constantly elect lawyers that are politicians to office and expect good results?

We know that the Apostle Paul accused Peter of being a hypocrite in Galatians 2: 11-14. Listen to the story:

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles.

But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

So even the strongest Christian has a little hypocrisy in him.

There are even times we encourage it: Ambrose Pierce once said, “Politeness is the most acceptable hypocrisy.”  Noel Coward wrote “It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.”

There are times politeness requires we be just a little hypocritical. None of us wants be judged as we are, but rather as we chose to tell others who we are. William F. Buckley once said, “I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.”

We are even amused by the concept of hypocrisy. Think of  Mr. Whipple in the Charmin commercials. He spends half a minute warning women not to squeeze the Charmin. Then later on, he is seen squeezing the Charmin himself.

If hypocrisy is so natural for humanity why does Jesus make it a big deal? George Bernard Shaw said, “Where there is no religion, hypocrisy becomes good taste.”

Christianity is an ethics based religion that requires an expectation of honesty, trust, and faith that it’s adherent, that’s you, gets from God. And God is perfection. Only through God’s Grace can we be free of hypocrisy.

Yet it remains perhaps the number one stumbling block for the church and Jesus knew this.

You’ve heard the “Challenge:” “Hey, I would never be a Christian. I mean, look at all the hypocrites in the Church!”  

The Answer: “Well, we'd be glad to move over—there's always room for one more. And furthermore, if you ever find the perfect church, please don't join it. You'd spoil it.”

Does that response strike you as a being a bit too smart-alecky? Perhaps so, but before you totally discount it, consider the point that is being made.

Is this not a case of the pot calling the kettle black? Are not four fingers pointing back at you as you point at the Church?

Are you not a bit like the father who once screamed at his teenage son: “Kid, if I've told you once, I've told you a million times—don't exaggerate!”

“You're right. There is far too much hypocrisy in the Church. And there always has been. But it's certainly not being condoned, and we’re earnestly trying to stop.”

We are all sinners and Jesus offers us the same grace His sacrifices have bought.

It is up to us to live up to His Grace. We know it’s hard enough to overcome our natural instincts for hypocritical behavior. We must learn to question and monitor ourselves for any behaviors that may impact our Christian Witness.

At a recent annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Atlanta, three hundred thousand doctors, nurses, and researchers came together to discuss, among other things, the importance a low-fat diet plays in keeping hearts healthy.

Yet during mealtimes, they ate fat-filled fast food, including bacon cheeseburgers and French fries, at a higher rate than people from other conventions. When one cardiologist was asked whether or not his eating high-fat meals set a bad example, he replied, “Not me; I took my name tag off.”

Friends we can’t as Christians, ever take our name-tags off. Amen.

 

 

“HE IS THE JUDGE”
Luke 18: 1-8 (NRSV)

A defendant in a lawsuit involving large sums of money was talking to his lawyer. "If I lose this case, I'll be ruined." "It's in the judge's hands now," said the lawyer.

"Would it help if I sent the judge a box of cigars?" "No, don’t do it! This judge is a stickler or ethical behavior. A stunt like that would prejudice him against you. He might even hold you in contempt of court. In fact, don’t even smile at the judge."

Within the course of time, the judge rendered a decision in favor of the defendant.

As the defendant left the courthouse, he said to his lawyer, "Thanks for the tip about the cigars. It worked!" "I'm sure we would have lost the case if you'd sent them." "But, I did send them." "What? You did?" said the lawyer, incredulously.

"Yes. That's how we won the case." "I don't understand," said the lawyer. "It's easy. I sent the cigars to the judge, but enclosed the plaintiff's business card."

Taking his seat in his chambers, the judge faced the opposing lawyers. “So,” he said, “I have been presented with a bribe by both of you.” Both lawyers squirmed uncomfortably. “You, attorney Leon, gave me $15,000. And you, attorney Campos, gave me $10,000.” The judge reached into his pocket and pulled out a check. He handed it to Leon. “Now then, I’m returning $5,000, and we’re going to decide this case solely on its merits.”

At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you accepted $ 5,000 dollars to compromise this case?" The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn't heard the question.

"Isn't it true that you accepted $ 5,000 dollars to compromise this case?" the lawyer repeated. The witness still did not respond. Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the question." "Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought he was talking to you."

No matter who is the judge human nature can’t be suppressed enough to make an unbiased decision. It is in our nature to make judgments based on what we see, what we know, who we know, and what we want. Listen to Jesus talk about judges:

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.

²He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. ³In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’

⁴For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’”

⁶And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? ⁸I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

There are three parts to this scripture passage I want to address.

First, there is the part about the perseverance of the widow that has been interpreted to mean how important persistence in prayer is. Second, Jesus tells us that we are His chosen ones if we develop an ongoing relationship with Him. Third, we need to be concerned that when Jesus returns He will find us faithful.

Jesus is the only judge we need worry about.

Let’s talk about the third part. Jesus will return and part of the reason He will be returning is to judge the world. He’s earned that right by overcoming sin.  

The Bible tells us very clearly, in words spoken by Christ himself in Matthew 24, that He will come again. There will be nothing secret about it; it will be the greatest event the world has ever seen. Revelation 1: 7 tells us "Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him."

 
1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17: "For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."

These are scary words for those who don’t know Jesus or are afraid that they haven’t done what they need to do to earn eternal salvation.

Jesus has told us to repent of our sins, become as little Children in learning a new way of life, and believe in Him. Jesus says if we do this persistently, like the widow, and honestly place Him in our heart, we are His people.

We don’t earn salvation by works, we receive it by asking for it! Yet many of us have a fear of possible rejection from God, it’s normal. But we will not suffer the same fate of the person in the following story:

3 men, a Rabbi, a Hindu, and a politician, were travelling and their car breaks down out on a lonely stretch of highway late at night.

They climb out and begin walking. Several miles down the road they see a dim light. They see that it is a farmhouse so they knock at the door. The farmer answers the door and the men ask for shelter for the night with the promise they’ll be on their way the next morning.

The farmer agrees but says he has enough room for 2 of them in the house, the other must sleep in the barn. They agree and the Hindu man agrees to sleep in the barn.

10 minutes later there’s a knock on the door and the Hindu man says he can not sleep in the barn out of respect for the cow he found there. The Rabbi then agrees to sleep in the barn.

10 minutes later, another knock. It’s the Rabbi who says he can not sleep in the barn either because there’s a pig in there. So the politician goes out to the barn to sleep.

Everyone is settling in to sleep when sure enough, another knock at the door. The farmer opens the door to find the cow and pig at the door claiming they can’t sleep with the politician.

Friends take heart and do not let the promise of Jesus’ return scare you. Remember the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John 14: 1-3:

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Yet in the waiting for His return it will be the hardest thing we have ever done, but we can take courage in Matthew 24: 13 “But he who endures to the end will be saved,” and Hebrews 13: 5, “For He Himself has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Also Matthew 28: 20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

Friends, take heart, take part, and do not depart from the way path to Heaven!

 Amen

“God is Crazy Generous”
Luke 17: 11-19

There was this world famous painter. In the prime of her career, she started losing her eyesight. Fearful that she might lose her talent as a painter, she went to see the best eye surgeon in the world.

After several weeks of delicate surgery and therapy, her eyesight was restored. The painter was so grateful that she decided to show her gratitude by repainting the doctor's office.

Part of her work included painting a gigantic eye on one wall. When she had finished her work, she held a press conference to unveil her latest work of art: the doctor's office.

During the press conference, one reporter noticed the eye on the wall, and asked the doctor, "What was your first reaction upon seeing your newly painted office, especially that large eye on the wall?"

To this, the eye doctor responded, "I said to myself' Thank God I'm not a gastro- entomologist.'"

How about another? The patient shook his doctor’s hand in gratitude and said, “Since we are the best of friends, I would not want to insult you by offering any payment. But I would like for you to know that I have mentioned you in my will.”

“That is very kind of you,” said the doctor emotionally, and then added, “May I see that prescription I just gave you? I’d like to make a little change…”

Or another? Two friends met in the street. One looked sad and almost on the verge of tears. The other man said, “Hey my friend, how come you look like the whole world has caved in?”

The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me 50-thousand dollars.” “That’s not bad at all…!”

“Hold on, I’m just getting started. Two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew kicked-the-bucket and left me $ 95,000, and it’s tax-free to boot.”

Then, last week, my grandfather passed away and. I inherited a million dollars.”

“So why are you so glum?” “This week – nothing!”

Wow, I’d like to have a month like that.

Luke 17: 11-19: On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, ¹³they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean.

¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? ¹⁸Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

I have a confession to make. My family knows this, and most of you who know me well probably sense it as well. I have a hard time being the most positive person in the room at times. This contrasts with my understanding that every day of my life IS a scene from the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

God has spoiled me rotten with His blessings. I get to work with His people, I get to see the many blessings he has given us, I have a wonderful wife, daughter, and family. I certainly haven’t gone to bed without supper for a long, long time.

Borrowing the marketing message of the phone company Vonage, God has been “crazy generous to me!”

What more could I want? What more could I need then to say that God has made me one of the “clouds of witnesses” who testify to His love and grace when all around me I see people living the secular life and sleeping in on Sundays?

What exactly is Jesus saying in this passage? Jesus has been crazy generous to these ten lepers. I think it sheds light on one of Christianity’s foundations.

How can we truly say the phrase “God loves the sinner, but hates the sin!”  

We are taught and told over and over again that we are called to do the same, “love the sinner, hate sin,” because God is love.

It is in passages such as this that we see the fleshing out of this kind of statement. I am convinced that He truly loves all people even the sinners (as stated in Romans 5: 8 which says, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!).

Stop and contemplate that for a minute. Because God knows everything and if there are people that God knows will never accept Him as Lord He still offers them the same blessings as those who will!

This is contrasted with other passages. Hear Psalm 5: 5 (The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all evildoers.) and Psalm 11: 5 (The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked. He hates the lover of violence.)  How do we reconcile this?

If we look closely the answer is readily apparent. The verses from the Book of Psalms are from the Old Testament, before the cross.  It is only from the crazy generous love of the cross do thes words seem to be contradictory.

In Colossians 1:19-20 Paul wrote:

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in (Jesus) and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.”

This doesn’t mean everyone will be saved because of the cross, but that all the sins of mankind were paid for there. You have to ask for the Grace of Christ yet even if you don’t you still are a child of God’s creation and receive the benefits of a generous Creator.

Remember, John the Baptist called Jesus, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29). 

And John wrote these words with authority:

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Those who believe in Him are not condemned: but those who do not believed are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.

But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have done in God.                                                          (John 3: 14-21)

I worked with a pastor who had married a lady who was from a country he had lived in when his parents were missionaries. The lady’s skin color was a lot darker than his. They have two children.

He had a problem with his congregation accepting his wife and children. I asked him how he dealt with it. He told me that Jesus had died for his congregation.

I realized that if each of us could understand that we were all sinners in need of Grace it would be a good place to start handling our problems and becoming the people God would like us to become.

Look around here today – each and everyone us are sinners in need of redemption, or are receiving it.

Because of Jesus God has offered us that redemption at no cost other than to acknowledge our need, confess our sins, and start living each day with Him in our hearts. It also means learning to do a lot of stuff differently than our human natures would have us do.

Now isn’t that “crazy generous?” I think it should make us “crazy thankful!” Amen.

The Price You Are Willing to Pay

Communion Meditation
“Price You Are Willing to Pay”
Luke 17: 5-10 (NRSV)

Did you know that that the Fairy Tale story of the Princess and the Frog has been rewritten?

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess lap and said: “Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in yon castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so.”

That night, as the princess dined on a lightly sautéed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled to herself and thought: “Not a chance.”

Some people will pay anything to accomplish goals, achieve fame, or attain happiness. They will chase these goals without thought of others or the cost paid.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed the 29,035-foot peak of Mount Everest. Thousands followed, thanks to Nepal’s lifting its tight restrictions on climbing the mountain. By 2006, more than 2,700 people had reached the top of the world’s tallest mountain, many paying more than $60,000 for the experience.

One result of this commercial successwas the end of the traditional moral code of mountaineering. In the rush to the top, amateurs who have paid a fortune will do anything it takes to get to the summit, including abandoning other climbers.

David Sharp became a casualty in March of 2006. The thirty-four-year-old engineer from Cleveland managed to reach the summit. However, he ran out of oxygen on the way back down. As he lay dying, forty climbers passed him by, too eager to achieve their own goals to take a chance on offering their oxygen to someone else. David Sharp froze to death.

Ed Viestrus, who has scaled fourteen of the world’s tallest peaks, says passing people who are dying is not uncommon. “Unfortunately, there are those who say, ‘It’s not my problem. I’ve spent all this money, and I’m going to the summit.’ ”

This attitude has produced disgust in many climbers, including Sir Edmund Hillary, “On my expedition, there was no way you’d have left a man under a rock to die.”

To some people the danger is worth the risk – it is the price they are willing to pay.

LUKE 17: 5-10:

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  

Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table?’

Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink?’Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

The Greek word used here for “slaves” is douloš (and means bond servants). Being a bond servant means you are legally, ethically, and morally obligated to do what is told to you by the person holding the bond over you. It is the price you are asked or willing to pay,in order to benefit or pay the condition of the bond.

A bond could come about out of war or it could be an agreement for training, or a place to live and protection. It could last a lifetime or be time limited. It meant that the master was always right and always the priority.

In this passage Jesus is pointing out that the disciples have just stepped on the master-servant relationship between them.

The Mulberry tree (also called a sycamore tree) was a very deep rooted tree and considered impossible to uproot and move – contrasted with the tiniest seed in God’s kingdom.

Jesus was saying that even the smallest amount of true faith could accomplish great things – and that the disciples, if pure in heart, wouldn’t need His help to do great things.

He also suggests, through His teachings and actions, that giving or sacrificing oneself for others is the greatest act of faith there is.

Jesus offers sacrifice and the disciples must have faith in that sacrifice. Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to be willing give time, talent, or wealth to others. That’s what learning to be a disciple is all about.

Did you know that people who help others are healthier and live longer lives than those who don’t?

That was one of the conclusions of a team headed by Stephen G. Post, professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which evaluated fifty scientific studies of volunteers.

One study, by Cornell University, spent thirty years following 427 women who were married and had children. Researchers found that only 36 percent of women who regularly volunteered had experienced a major illness, while 52 percent of those who never volunteered had a major illness.

Other studies indicated that those who volunteered their time lived longer than those who didn’t. Frequent volunteers had a 44 percent reduction in early death when compared to non-volunteers.

Scientists also identified precise areas of the brain that are highly active during empathic and compassionate emotions. “These brain studies show this profound state of joy and delight that comes from giving to others,” Post said.

He went on further to say, “It doesn’t come from any dry action — where the act is out of duty in the narrowest sense, like writing a check for a good cause. It comes from working to cultivate a generous quality — from interacting with people. There is the smile, the tone in the voice, the touch on the shoulder. We’re talking about altruistic love.”

Jesus told the disciples about the power of faith. He also suggested that you can’t get it out of a can, it can’t be bought or sold.. It must be real, genuine, and self-developed. No one else can give you faith. They can help you build it.

Faith is all about trust and risk. Trust that our heavenly Master Jesus knows what’s best for us. And taking a risk to step out in faith in the knowledge that He is always with us.

Receiving Communion is a good illustration of this, We receive God’s Grace knowing that it is given to those who ask for it. You must be receptive to this Grace for it to help you.  Amen.

I rarely give advice but because of the times we live I can't resist this one:

IF YOU ARE VISITING A NATIONAL PARK TODAY REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR WIRE CUTTERS!!!!!!!!!

pjohn

NOTE: This message presented to a combined congregation at St. Paul's Church on the occasion of an elevator dedication.

“DOES GOD ALLOW DO OVERS?”
Luke 16: 19-31 (NRSV)

I have the honor of preaching to our assembled community of faith today as we celebrate the dedication of an elevator. I am reminded of the many times such  services have been celebrated here at St. Paul’s Church as upgrades, modifications, and items have been added over the last 266 years.

One of the things churches with long histories have to consider is “what is the legacy that has been left to me” from these prior gifts and what is the legacy we here today desire to leave for those who come after?

Sometimes we recognize the need to rededicate or renew legacies and efforts.

Today we’re going to see how Jesus addresses the concept of a “do-over.” The desire to wish for or desire a “do over” is fairly common. There have been books written, TV shows presented, and any other type of message done to explore the concept of being able to go back and re-do something in our lives.

Most of the time the moral is always the same: It’s better to do something the right way the first time to the best of one’s ability than to try to restore it. And if you can’t restore then you need to repent, or turn from your not so successful ways to try again.

We could ask no better scripture than the actual Lectionary text for today in keeping with this line of questioning. It pertains to a man who is experiencing the afterlife and regretting the legacy, or lack of one, he has left. It should encourage each of us to ponder our lives and how we’re using the precious time and abundance God has provided:

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feastedsumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’

But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’

He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’

Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’

He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Today’s message presents some challenges for a Christian; superficially, this passage appears as if it’s about “life” after death and whether messages can be sent to the living from the dead so that behavior change happens.

But that’s not what Jesus is talking about. In today’s world anything about life-after-death can be controversial because of our human views, beliefs, and fears.

This story was a favorite one told to Jewish children about earthly rewards and heavenly punishments. But Jesus takes the known story and puts a new twist on it.

Jesus’ take on this story suggests that the real danger is that we will squander the blessings and opportunities that His abundant blessings give us, and that we will fail to use His teachings to share this blessing with others every chance we get.

The story’s moral is clear; it will be too late when we’re dead. Our lives here on earth will affect our lives after physical death. Or for you Si Robertson fans out there – I’m talking about the “meta-physical.”

Yet we are not to be people who are goaded into being good because we fear eternal punishment that others may have earned. God relates to us better in Love than he does in fear. Our relationship to God is in Love and respect, not fear.

The rich man makes a fundamental mistake in his request to Abraham. Too many Christians relate only to fear and punishment rather than the joy and love of grace.

The rich man asks for comfort from an earned punishment after already living a life of leisure. A life wasted in selfishness. He also asks that his brothers be warned.

We discover that this is not quite the way Jesus suggests His Kingdom works. “Do overs” are allowed while we are facing our first physical deaths, but no one will be able to repent from Hell or Hades. It will be impossible.

Jesus says that because the rich man has already ignored God’s word and warning,  his heart failed to develop compassion for people such as Lazarus. Since he has died a physical death he will now receive the reward he asked for and earned – a world separated from God.

As we dedicate this elevator this day let us remember its purpose and our respective church’s purpose: of increasing the access to this church’s building and programs for those who are elderly and physically challenged, and for those who are searching for God’s Word and Truth.

It is not built because we could afford it and now can boast. It was not built just to satisfy one or two influential people’s ego; it was built because of need. It was built to build up our community of faith.

Face it: Paying for the elevator wasn’t as difficult as it could have been, because the more difficult a thing is to achieve the more appreciated it is. Yet the sweat equity put into this elevator is priceless to this community of faith.

Wealth, both financially and physically, is nothing unless it serves a purpose just as life becomes meaningless if it isn’t lived the way God has commanded us to live.

The purpose a church and an individual gives to a community should be beyond any earthly accounting. Today our wealth as a faith community has increased.

Billy Graham wrote in his autobiography Just as I Am, that happiness is not determined by wealth or fame but by character. He writes about an encounter he and his wife had while on vacation.

One of the wealthiest men in the world asked them to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears.

“I am the most miserable man in the world,” he said. “I have everything in the world to make myself happy.  I can go anywhere. Yet I am as miserable as hell.”

They prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning to life, but didn’t seem successful in soothing the man in his lonliness and lack of vision for his life.

Later that afternoon they met with the pastor of the local Baptist church. He too was 75, a widower who spent most of his time taking care of his 2 elderly sisters.

Yet he was full of enthusiasm and love for Christ and others. “I don’t have two dollars  to my name,” he said with a smile, “but I am the happiest man on this island.”

Billy Graham would ask us, “Who do you think is the richer man?"

 

Churches who don't use their wealth for service in God's Kingdom can become lonely and desolate. Let us never fall into a Lazarus mindset.

It is in this spirit of Christian character that we dedicate this elevator.

Let us pray that this building will long continue to be a symbol and tool of God’s presence and that it will embody the Grace of Christ here on earth. May it ever be an outreach tool for Christ.

Let it be a shining example of the goodness of God and His people.

May the word affirming Christ as Savior be preached here, may the Holy Bible continue as our rule of Faith, and may our hands, minds, and hearts seek only His Will.

Amen.